Dip bars are well known. A typical dip bar includes two parallel, spaced, and elongated tubes or the like bodies supported above ground. A well known exercise with a dip bar involves positioning oneself between the two dip bars, grabbing the dip bars each with one hand, supporting oneself above ground (i.e. feet off the ground), and alternately lowering and lifting oneself without touching the ground to exercise, for example, the chest muscles and the triceps.
Dip bars with non-parallel, spaced and elongated support tubes are also known.
The present invention relates to an exercise apparatus that includes dip bars integrated with and supported above ground on a self-supporting stand.
In one embodiment, the self supporting dip bar stand includes one continuous, preferably tubular, body extending from one dip bar support tube to another dip bar support tube. The continuous body may be configured to receive a back support so that it may be used as a bench in a different orientation.
In another embodiment, the apparatus may be configured so that it may be easily disassembled for storage.
An exercise apparatus according to the present invention includes a self-supporting stand supporting a plurality of dip bars arranged on a first common plane and oriented in non-parallel orientation relative to one another, the self-supporting stand being elongated and supported on a base.
The base may include a plurality of base supports arranged on a second common plane parallel to the first common plane, whereby the self-supporting stand is oriented vertically relative to the first common plane when the first common plane is oriented horizontally. The first and the second planes may extend away from the self-supporting stand in the same direction. A tie bar may be connected to respective ends of the base supports to define a continuous body extending from a free end of one the dip bars to a free end of another one of the dip bars. The tie bar may be disengageably coupled to the base supports.
According to one aspect of the present invention the exercise apparatus is configured so that the self-supporting stand is oriented horizontally when the first common plane and the second common plane are oriented vertically. A back support may be disengageably engaged with the self-supporting stand to define a bench.
In its preferred form, the self-supporting stand may include a plurality of spaced elongated supports. The back support may be coupled to the elongated supports to define a bench. The elongated supports may be parallel to one another.
In another embodiment, the apparatus includes a base section and a dip bar section, the dip bar section being disengageably engageable with the elongated supports and the base section being disengageably engageable with the elongated supports.
The dip bar section may include a dip bar section cradle that receives the elongated supports, and the base section may include a base section cradle that receives the elongated supports.
A first tie member may connect the first ends of the elongated supports, and a second tie member may connect the second ends of the elongated supports, the first tie member resting on the base section and the second tie member supporting the dip bar section.
The base section may be rotatable about the first tie member in a first direction to disengage from the elongated supports, and the dip bar section may be rotatable about the second tie member in a second direction opposite the first direction to disengage from the elongated supports. The first direction may be clockwise and the second direction may be counter-clockwise.
The base section cradle may include a portion that abuts the elongated supports when the base section is rotated in the second direction and the dip bar section cradle may include a portion that abuts the elongated supports when the dip bar section is rotated in the first direction.
The apparatus may further include a first elongated fold bar connected at one end to a tie member that connects the base supports and at another opposite end to the elongated supports, a second fold bar connected at one end to one of the dip bars and connected at another end to one of the elongated supports, and a third fold bar connected at one end to another one of the dip bars and at another end to another one of the elongated supports. The second fold bar may be disengageably connected at one end to one of the dip bars and pivotably connected at another end to one of the elongated supports, and the third fold bar may be disengageably connected at one end to another one of the dip bars and pivotably connected at another end to another one of the elongated supports. A snap fit connector may reside on the elongated supports for snap fit reception of the fold bars.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention, which refers to the accompanying drawings.